Canada’s Cases of “Unsolved” Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, Part 2
/UFO stories come from across the country, from the Northwest Territories to British Columbia, Nova Scotia and all regions in between. I covered the Shag Harbour Incident in my last blog, and now let’s look at Canada’s best-documented “unsolved” case.
By all accounts, the area of Falcon Lake, Manitoba, is picturesque national-park land, ideal for camping and water recreations. In 1967, it was common for prospectors to visit the area, looking for minerals. On May 20 of that year something unexplained also paid a visit.
Stephen Michalak was searching in a wooded area of Falcon Lake for quartz and silver and had stopped for lunch. A flock of startled geese caught his attention and, looking up as they took flight, he saw two unusual objects above. They were elongated with a dome on the top and were changing colour from red to gray and back. One stayed in the air, hovering 10-12 feet above the ground before lifting and vanishing, but the other landed near him.
He thought it might be an experimental craft, perhaps in distress, although it bore no markings on it, and the surface was so perfect it could have been milled from solid metal in once piece. He drew a picture of it, and it looked like what most of us think of as a classic flying saucer.
MIchalak’s Drawing of the Object he Encountered, image credit CBC, “Falcon Lake incident is Canada’s ‘best-documented UFO case.’ even 50 years later”
As he approached the craft for a better look, a door opened on the underside of the object. The violet-white light inside was so blinding that Michalak was forced to pull down the coloured visor of the protective goggles that he used when he was chipping at rocks.
He approached the doorway and even touched a gloved hand to the hull. The exterior was so hot that it partially melted his rubber glove. Before he could look inside, the door suddenly closed, and the craft began to spin.
Michalak had been standing near a grid of holes in the hull, and as the craft lifted from the ground, they released a hot air blast, which blew Michalak back from the ship and set his shirt on fire. He could smell something akin to burning electrical coming from his own body.
Michalak was forced to find his way out from the area on foot after being burned. Not only was he disoriented from the blast, and in pain from the burns, but he was also suffering from extreme nausea and vomiting. A police officer tried to offer him aid once he reached the highway, but Michalak refused, fearing that he had encountered radiation and might be contaminated.
Michalak’s Chest and Stomach Burns, image credit CBC, “Falcon Lake Incident is Canada’s ‘best-documented UFO case,’ even 50 years later”
Doctors diagnosed him with severe burns but had no answer for his nausea, which prevented him from eating for almost a week and left him ill for over a month. The grid burns on his stomach returned every few months for over a year, even leading Michalak to visit the Mayo Clinic.
The RCMP began an investigation, as did the Department of National Defense. Michalak’s burns were of particular interest. The fear was of something radioactive at the site, and some items did prove to be contaminated. Melted metal from one of the cracks in the rocks is one of the only things remaining as proof of the story; the others lost in transfers between the various investigating agencies.
Michalak regretted that his story ever went public, but never wavered in his telling of it. Over 300 pages of documentation on the encounter exist, yet it remains unexplained to this day.
For more information, visit the Library and Archives of Canada for some of the documents, as well as a two-part podcast covering the incident.
Sam M.
Sam M. has a love for all forms of speculative fiction across all media. Possessed of natural curiosity, Sam enjoys learning and new experiences. Each new piece of knowledge or endeavour adds to who she is and how she sees the world. She is a firm believer that some of the most amazing experiences and events could even be in your backyard (figuratively, if not literally).
